Once Upon a Time...

as our beloved friend Sebastian the crab from The Little Mermaid said oh so eloquently, 

"the human world...it's a mess."

a'int that the truth. 

our world..our nation..even our state is a wreck.

I was originally planning on writing about Robin Williams' death. I was going to selfishly remind you about my own journey through the dark tunnel that is depression. I was going to remind you of the things people who suffer from depression HATE to hear. I was going to give you the perfect and simple tools on how to be a good friend to someone who is Sad. (capital S because I hate overusing the word "depressed.") But I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to keep shoving words about this awful thing down your throat like so many people on social media networks have done (myself included..) 

Instead? I'm going to tell you a funny story. you may not actually laugh out loud..but if you crack a tiny smirk? that's better than reading an article and walking away feeling like someone punched you in the stomach/soul. (that's how I've felt for the past few days.)

Okay so growing up my best friend Jessica and I did pretty much everything together. one summer we went on a trip to the great state of Iowa to see and spend time with her grandparents that live there. there are many parts of this trip that I will never forget - an INSANE amount of flower gardens, sleeping (kinda) in the back seat of their truck with my legs intertwined with Jessica's, giggling at night listening to grandparent snores that LITERALLY sounded like a chain saw, etc. 

the one event that I will NEVER forget happened the day her grandparents dropped us off at a small water park for the afternoon. we were so excited. FREEDOM! we made the rules, we decided what to do, and we got to flirt* with cute boys.

*stare awkwardly at boys until they caught us staring then giggling and looking away*

*also kind of follow them around at a safe distance but act like we weren't*

we felt so old, independent, and ALIVE.

the park had a wave pool - so fun! so we hung out in the wave pool when we weren't going down slides or following cute boys. if you paid extra, you got a wristband and you could use an inner tube in the wave pool. we did not have wristbands, but because we were on our own, making our own rules, we decided to REBEL and surreptitiously float on a tube with our wrists in the water so the lifeguards couldn't see that we in fact, did not have permission to use the tubes. 

living LIFE on the EDGE, people. 

as brilliant as our wrist-in-water plan was, it did not work. we got caught and yelled at which I absolutely hated. so we were now Those Girls. the Fugitives. 

we decided to stay in the pool and just swim around. at one point I decided to start being a mermaid - duh - and began diving in and out of the water picturing my wildly beautiful fin behind me. 

Ariel would have been SO jealous of my sweet mermaid moves. 

the next 2 minutes (probably not even that long) are going to be burned into my memory for the rest of life. 

I was under the water. swimmin' along, feeling the simulated waves push and pull me through the water. I had my eyes closed - I hated when they would get red from the chlorine - and I was just the happiest little mermaid. the need for air came upon me so I started to swim toward the surface. (as I'm sitting here typing these words I am literally giggling from the absurdity of what happened next.) I can tell I'm almost to the surface when I feel myself having to push against something. in my head I'm thinking, "oh I must be right in the middle of a fake wave and that's making it more difficult. I should just keep pushing because man, I need to breathe." so I go with my gut and keep. on. pushing.

when I get to the top of the water, open my eyes, and look around I am super confused. right in front of me are a pair of swim trunks/legs that are attached to the torso of a boy my age. behind his torso I see the yellow colored inner tube that Jess and I tried to float on earlier. then I see that the torso is connected to a head of one of the cute boys were flirted(ish) with earlier. then I see the look on his face that read, "what are you doing?" then I hear his words, 

"ummm.....I was here first."

I was in his inner tube. my head had popped up from the water INSIDE HIS INNER TUBE. he had just been laying in his tube, enjoying the push and pull of the fake waves, when suddenly this girl's head POPS UP FROM THE WATER INSIDE HIS TUBE. 

In the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word "mortify" is defined as "subject to severe and vexing embarrassment." there could also be another definition added - 

"like the time Hannah Morgan's head popped up in cute boy's inner tube"

I don't really remember what I said to him. I probably stuttered an apology. I then quickly went back under water and desperately searched for Jessica and my dignity. 

I found Jessica.

///

I tell you this story because I still crack up just thinking about it. 

I tell you this because it truly is my most embarrassing moment, and sometimes it's good to be vulnerable and be open about the times you wanted to crawl into a hole and live there the rest of your life out of sheer humiliation. 

I also tell you this to hopefully lighten your day/afternoon/evening.

 I hope that you laughed or least smiled. 

I love making people laugh. I think besides showing people the love of Jesus, teaching, and being the best mom to Monster, making people laugh is one of the most important life goals I have. 

I love you. Please go have a fantastic day. if the headlines, articles, etc. get too heavy for you - take a break. put your phone down. log off Facebook. go outside. take a deep breath. think of 3 things you are thankful for, and then move forward. I'm definitely going to try it! 

xoxo,

H

escape the ordinary // summer vacation 2014

hello, friends :)

the night of May 7th, a Wednesday, we packed dad's car with luggage and snacks for a the ride to Branson, MO. We had a room at Still Waters Resort near Silver Dollar City and planned to stay until Saturday. Monster was dropped off at Camp Bow Wow (not my favorite thing) and we were on the road!

Wednesday night we settled in and got to watch Late Night with Jimmy Fallon - I love that guy.

Thursday morning we woke up to a rainy, rainy day. we decided to go to a show and hope that the rest of the days would be nice to be outside!

we saw Jonah at the Sound & Sound Theatre. let's talk about a great show. before the showtime of 3:00 we paid for the backstage tour! our tour guide, Jenny, was in the ensemble of the cast and was fantastic. She was peppy, bubbly, and fun all without being annoying! I was the youngest person in the tour group so I volunteered to show everyone what a "quick change" is with costuming. it was fun asking her questions about the theatre and the others in the group being like, "what are you even talking about?" it was nice to be in the theatre environment again!

The show included lives animals and incredibly built set pieces. part of the tour was through the animal holding areas - I made some intense eye contact with a llama. The actors in the show were so great. we had good seats so it was nice to be able to see the facial expressions and set pieces up close. if you are in the Branson area this summer I would HIGHLY recommend this show!

You can find out more about Jonah here - and also the Bible.

Sight & Sound Theatre 

VIP status

view from the stage

tour guide - Jenny!

Friday morning we decided to get up and go down to the lake to kayak. Still Waters provided kayaks and paddle boats for free. It was my first experience kayaking - I was a bit nervous! once dad helped me get in the thing though I'd like to think I did really well. I loved figuring out the rhythm of paddling - it was relaxing. we saw lots of turtles, snakes, and a fish skeleton in the water! I don't have any pictures to prove that this happened - I was afraid I'd tip the kayak! 

after our water adventure we got cleaned up, headed into town and ate at the Fish House on the Branson Landing. talk about some good food! (and sweet tea) we sat outside and had a great view of the water - we also saw lots of birds and fish! 

I have no words.

so cute

the place with the food

a goose

he looks like a Peter to me.

after lunch we did some serious shopping on the landing and then at the Tanger Outlet Mall. 

Saturday morning, our last day, we packed up and checked out of our room. then we played miniature golf! if you don't already know this about me - I LOVE MINI GOLF. my favorite place to go in Branson is Pirate's Cove. there's a ship, a cave thingy, and they play 50's music - which now sounds weird to me because it's Pirate themed...

argh! or whatever

my momma! 

lovebirds

Saturday also happened to be my parents' 28th wedding anniversary. talk about an example of steadfast love. I'm so fortunate to have grown up in such a loving home and am now getting the chance again to see how marriage works. I've learned so much from them! 

after golf we ate and then headed home. a good car nap later and we were back to our little reality. and back to our (exhausted) critter. 

I love him so!

xoxo,

H

Another Year Older

I turned 22 on the 18th of October and let me tell you - it was a day to remember. The entire weekend was one to remember, actually. What happened you ask? Well by golly let me tell you.

Before I tell you what I did for my birthday weekend I have to introduce you to my boyfriend - yes you read that correctly - BOYFRIEND. I am still very excited to be able to call him that again (again? yes...I'll explain later). His name is Korey and I am quite fond of him. I am also very fond of this picture of us. It is my favorite so far.

Korey, the boyfriend.

BIRTHDAY WEEKEND 2013

(I love my birthday. A lot. Probably too much if you ask my mother and father.)

Thursday 10/17

Korey arrives at our house after driving from Indianapolis 8 hours away. We had not seen each other in over a year. It was a JOYOUS reunion. After catching up and such I took him to Gymboree to show him where I hang out with the kiddos. Then we went to Olive Garden and stuffed our faces. After dinner we drove to Blue Springs and spent the evening with my small group getting ready for a church event. It was a small group so it was a good time for Matt and Holly (the leaders) to get to know him - Matt asked lots of questions. (He approves of him, and I trust his opinion!) After life group we went home and hung out with my parents. 

Friday 10/18 - DAY OF MY BIRTH

Sonic photoshoot

After sleeping in (a birthday treat for sure!) Korey and I got ready and went to Cracker Barrel in Independence. I was so excited about this meal. I love that place. Then we went to the Nelson Atkins Museum in Kansas City! We both will happily say that we have our nerdy sides (one of us more than the other...aka Korey). We had a blast walking through the exhibits and discussing the pieces of art. We eventually got kind of tuckered out and decided we should get home to let Monster out - after getting drinks at Sonic of course. Happy Hour and my birthday? It HAD to happen. We got home, played with Monster, and waited for dad to get home from work. When he got home we drove to the Carrabba's in Independence to meet mom. Then our good friends the Prewitt's showed up to surprise me! I was very excited to see them and was so glad they were able to be there. We ate our (delicious) food, they sang to Happy Birthday to me, and then headed home! Bradee was waiting at the house - we were going to play games! My good friend Jessica and her boyfriend Logan were driving up from Springfield, too. While we waited for them to arrive we watch the Cardinals play on tv. At this point I was a very very happy 22 year old. I had my very favorite people around me. After Jess and Logan got there we played Taboo and a couple of other games. It was so fun. I'm so glad they could be here! 

the girls! friends since high school :)

the boys! friends since...that night :)

Logan, Jessica, Bradee, Monster, me and Korey :)

happy happy happy!

Saturday 10/19

Korey and I went to Fort Osage to explore the national landmark! It was really neat to be able to see a piece of history that is pretty close to Lee's Summit! We spent a good amount of time exploring the soldier's barracks and then learned a lot at the fur trading post. 

history

he knew LOTS

opossum for dinner, anyone?

we walked down to the river!

our new friend, Wooly. 

3-D ready to go! 

After exploring the 1800's we traveled back to 2013 and found a Sonic just in time for Happy Hour! Then we drove to Barnes & Noble and walked around the store. For dinner mom made a delicious meal of chicken and stuffing. It was so good. Then the 4 of us went to the IMAX to see the movie Gravity starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. It was fun! 

Sunday 10/20

Sunday morning was the first time that I got to sing in the praise team - it was Team 3's time to shine! I had to be at the church at 8 AM which was...okay - it was not fun. Early morning Hannah is not a delight. But I was excited that Korey would get to be there the first time I was singing up front. Our team and worship choir did really well  - it was fun! After I sang in the second service Korey and I went downstairs to my Sunday School room with Joyce. We helped with the kiddos - they were definitely curious about Korey. After church we went to eat at Porky's, a great BBQ place in near Grain Valley. Then we drove to my cousin Harper's house to celebrate her 3rd birthday! Korey had to leave around 3 to get back to Indiana. It was a tough goodbye - I felt like he had just gotten there! We said goodbye and I went back in and played with Harper - that helped cheer me up a little :) 

I loved every moment of this weekend. So many memories were made. I'm very excited to see how my 22nd year of life pans out!

my sweet grandma Carol sent me these beautiful lilies - my favorite!

this was my birthday cake! mom and dad are the best!

xoxo,

H

Five Things

Hey, guys!
What a week. Monday seems like forever ago. I hope your week went well :) [if not? there's a new one coming up...how great is that?]

Here's a list of things that have happened since Monday. I know you've been wondering!

1. It snowed more.
        Tuesday gave us about 2 more inches of snow, so Wednesday was another snow day. I was supposed to go to therapy, have more job training and go to an interview but those were all cancelled! I stayed home and watched Real Housewives of Beverly Hills [go ahead, judge.] and looked at pictures of puppies. This, by the way, is my dream puppy. A French Bulldog. Just look at those ears!
        The interview is at Paradise Park, "Kansas City's Premier Family Destination." That has been moved to this coming Wednesday so if you think about it, send good thoughts and prayers my way! It'd be great and a huge blessing to have another source of income.

2. I got to play with lots of kiddos! 
        On Thursday I trained at Gymboree for about 4 hours. I team-taught with Miss Lisa. We had 4 classes, ages 10 months-3 years old. It was a long and tiring morning, but I learned SO much. I got to lead certain aspects of the class, too so that was exciting.
      One moment that was especially special was when I was interacting with a little girl who I have TOTALLY forgotten the name of! We'll call her Natalie. Natalie was very observant, not really participating but not exactly being shy...just super into taking it all in on her own time. I was on the floor in front of her tapping the mat lightly, pretending I was going to come "get her" but stopped right in front of her so she could decide what to do next. I sat up criss cross applesauce [ohmygoodness. I sound like a teacher!] and she crawled up into my lap. I was delighted but didn't think TOO much of it until her mom, who had been talking with another mother, looked down and gasped, saying "oh my gosh! I've never seen her do that on her own! She normally doesn't do well with strangers!" My heart was so filled with joy. Not only because she had "picked" me to be brave with, but because it made her mom so happy to see her daughter's progress. PRECIOUS MOMENTS PEOPLE. These are what fuel life.

Life Lesson: Never take the little things for granted.

3. I got to spend a lot of time with Bradee!
        On Friday me and Bradee went to the Nelson Atkins Art Museum. It was really fun. We only had to pay for parking and we got about 3 hours of culture! We took silly pictures and just got to be together! We went to Cheesecake Factory afterward and then walked around Forever 21. I put a ton of pictures on my Facebook but here's a couple of my favorites!

 throwin' snow

being one with art :)

4. I laughed a lot.

        Today after training for another 5 hours I came home and napped/watched the Mizzou game. Then invited Bradee over for dinner/games/a movie [the Morgan house is a fun house.] We had hamburgers, played Taboo, and watched Here Comes the Boom. I would recommend this movie! It had a great message and some great humor. Training was great, watching kids learn and discover makes me so incredibly happy. Playing Taboo with my parents and friends is literally one of my favorite things in the world. I love being silly and making my mom laugh. I just love laughing! [wooooow am I one of those people now?] 

5. [I like having my lists end in a solid number..like 5.] 

I learned a lot about myself.

        Since being home I've been able to take the much needed time to get reacquainted with myself. I honestly believe that during that dark time I lost sight of who I was. Being by myself and at Gymboree, I'm starting to see who I have the chance to become. It's an awful tedious task, but I'm allowing myself to be more open and honest with myself which is helping me become so much more at ease with this path that I'm now on. I'm a work in progress and I'm finally becoming okay with that. 

Life Lesson: It's okay to be not okay. 

        We're human. Sometimes we break. We fall apart. But then! Oh man, then we get to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and begin again. It's hard work. It doesn't happen over night. But once we take that first step, whether it's a huge step [dropping out of college] or small step [taking yourself out on a date, which I TOTALLY recommend.] Once that step is made, the journey has begun! It's your time to renew, refresh, and become who you were MADE TO BE. 

Alright, I'm stepping off my box now. I love you guys. Whoever is reading this. As I've stated before just remind yourself that you ARE loved. and so so so worth that love. 

xoxo,

H